The Captain's Son
by Takara Phoenix
Summary: Mortal AU - Nico is dragged along to a family cruise during the summer, even though he had better plans. He's grumpy about it, at least until he gets to meet Captain Poseidon Jackson's son. Suddenly, he's enjoying the cruise quite a lot... Nico/Percy slash Nicercy


PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || The Captain's Son || Nicercy || PJatO || Nicercy || PJatO

Title: The Captain's Son – Best Family Trip Ever

Fandom: Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus; mortal AU

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Rick Riordan for he created the awesomeness that is Nico di Angelo. And everything else related to Percy Jackson and the Olympians / Heroes of Olympus. Aside from the Gods, they belong to the old Greeks. This fanfiction and its OCs on the other hand are entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, fluff, family fluff, gigantic coincident, hetero, shoujo-ai

Main Pairing: Nico/Percy

Side Pairings: Paul/Sally, Hades/Persephone, Tristan/Beryl, Ethan/Alabaster, Otavian/Luke, Reyna/Annabeth

Percy Jackson Characters: Perseus Jackson, Leo Valdez, Nico di Angelo, Bianca di Angelo, Hazel Levesque, Thalia Grace, Jason Grace, Piper McLean, Ethan Nakamura, Alabaster C. Torrington, Luke Castellan, Octavian Simmons, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, Ella, Tyson, Sally Blofis, Paul Blofis, Tristan McLean, Beryl Grace, Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano, Annabeth Chase

Godly Characters: Poseidon, Hades, Persephone

Summary: Sixteen years old Nico is forced to go on a cruise trip with his family, even though him and his best friend Reyna had made _plans_. A cool road trip, just the two of them. Instead, he's stuck on a cruise like old people. He hates it, at least until he meets the son of Captain Jackson.

 **The Captain's Son**

 _Best Family Trip Ever_

The plan for the summer had been to go on a road trip through Europe with his best friend Reyna. He had it all planned out; they wanted to go through Spain, Italy, France and Germany. They wanted to spend the entire summer on the road, sleeping at camping places, renting a camper so they'd be able to do it all. Reyna had even managed to convince her sister and legal guardian to let her go, but when he went to ask his parents, he earned a big fat no.

Nico di Angelo was now doomed to spending his summer on a cruiser instead of in a camper.

No road trip. No, instead he had to do old people vacation. His father and stepmother had booked the cruise for their whole family and Nico was not getting out of it. Okay, so the only upside was that Hades di Angelo promised to _pay_ for the rental costs next year and promised Nico would be allowed to go then. Reyna had been bummed out but liked the idea of reduced costs. She said they'd have more time to plan things that way and the last he heard was that she instead went to New York to visit her girlfriend Annabeth there. So her summer would still be great. His? Not so much.

"Ni—ico! Swim?", asked his younger sister eagerly, tugging on his curls.

He grunted and shifted Hazel in his arms some so he wouldn't get his hair tugged by the four-year-old. Okay, so there was one family member Nico totally adored. Hazel was an adorable chubby-cheeked toddler and she looked up to Nico so much. She was his precious baby sister.

"Yeah, sorellina, I will go swimming with you", promised Nico with a smile, kissing her cheek.

"First, we're going to our suite", declared their father. "Get settled. Then you can explore."

Explore. Sure, the _Princess Andromeda_ was a ridiculously large luxury cruiser, but it was still just one ship. There would never be enough to explore and keep Nico entertained for the next month. And having a suite was even worse. At least the di Angelos lived in a mansion, meaning three stories and enough space to avoid each other for privacy. Now they shared a bathroom and living room and that was about it. Three bedrooms, one for Nico's parents, one for his sisters and one for him (at least he got a bedroom all to himself). This was not his definition of a fun summer.

"Maybe you will actually gain a _tan_ if you're forced to lay in the sun, fratellino", teased Nico's bigger sister as she ruffled his curls. "Or are you going to lock yourself into your room to pout all summer long? Looking emo and sending whiny texts to Reyna?"

"That is the plan, Bianca. That is the plan", grunted Nico with a pointed glare.

"You're so over dramatic, Nico", sighed his stepmother Persephone and shook her head.

"Ah, just give it some time. I'm sure we're all going to have fun", declared Hades.

/break\

Nico tried very actively to not make any contact, but somehow within the first three days, he ended up making four friends. Three friends and some kind of add on. But that was sort of Bianca's fault.

On their second day on the cruiser, Bianca made a friend. Her name was Thalia Grace and the two were already completely inseparable. Thalia was on the ship with her parents and siblings, but when she had told her best friend about the cruise, he had decided to tag along because a cruise would be romantic. So Thalia's best friend Luke Castellan dragged not just his lover Octavian but also his best-friend-couple Ethan and Alabaster along. When Bianca heard that, she squeaked and insisted on introducing them, because Nico was gay. Somehow, Bianca thought all gays would instantly get along. He kind of hated that he _really_ liked Ethan and Alabaster, because that was like proving her right. It wasn't like Nico knew a lot of gays, technically only his lesbian best friend Reyna. So maybe it was actually kind of nice to get to know two gay couples. Lesbians were just so different, after all. And Ethan and Alabaster were really awesome. Luke too, but he had more of an over-bearing big brother vibe to himself. Octavian was kind of an asshole and Nico disliked him.

"So, you met anything pretty yet?", asked Luke curiously.

The seven of them were at the pool, Thalia and Bianca sitting on one lounger, facing Luke's lounger as the three of them were playing cards. Octavian was being used as a pillow by Luke as the blonde was engaged in the card game with the girls. Nico's lounger was between Luke's and Ethan's, literally stuck between the two couples. Ethan was reading a book while carding his fingers through Alabaster's hair as the brunette freckled teen was deep asleep on Ethan's chest. Every hour, Ethan would wake his far too pale boyfriend to put some sun lotion on to keep him from being burned alive, which was all kinds of sweet and made Nico want a boyfriend who'd put lotion on him out of worry too. Nico grunted, decidedly trying to ignore Luke.

"No one here who picked your interest?", inquired Ethan curiously. "That blonde lifeguard keeps watching you rather intensely, you know."

Nico huffed and opted again for ignoring, while Bianca heaved a sigh. "Instead of being a pouty brat, how about you go and pick Hazel up from her playgroup?"

"Oh. Can you pick Jay and Pipes up too, while you're at it?", asked Thalia eagerly.

Nico leveled a glare at the two girls. "No. This week Hazel is your duty. And I'm not picking your clingy bratty siblings up, Grace. Those two are your duty!"

"Be a good brother, Nico", chided Luke. "Thals and Bia are busy playing cards with me. And all you're doing is sit there and mope, in case your parents walk by."

Nico flipped him the bird. "What's in it for me?"

"Hazel's adoration?", quipped Bianca. "Come on, you pick her and Thals' siblings up now, I'll get you out of that family trip when we harbor tomorrow, so you could sneak off with the guys."

Nico perked up at that. The two couples had plans on going to a gay bar when they would be anchoring at a harbor tomorrow afternoon, but Hades and Persephone wanted to do some kind of family trip. Like it wasn't bad enough they were constantly stuck on the boat together.

"Okay. Deal. But you better keep your end up", warned Nico with a glare.

"Say hello to Percy from me. He watches the toddler group", called Thalia after them.

Nico huffed. Like he was passing on regards to some stranger. He was going to pick the brats up, bring Jason and Piper to their parents and then get Hazel tucked in for a nap. Okay, so maybe Nico was kind of fond of the brats. Jason was clingy and adorable. Jason was Thalia's blood-brother while Piper was her stepsister, Piper's father Tristan McLean and Thalia's and Jason's mother Beryl Grace having met at a daycare center in a movie studio where both actors had projects going on at the time. Nico had read all about that in the newspapers already and thought it was pretty cool, but to actually meet them? Then again, this whole cruise really was for the upper class. Turned out that Octavian was apparently from a filthily rich family himself and had paid for the cruise for Luke, Ethan and Alabaster too, because he'd do anything to make Luke happy, which was kind of the only good quality Nico had found in the blonde, stuck-up Brit.

The di Angelos were upper class too. Hades di Angelo was the producer of basically every top ten hit of the past twenty years, or so it felt to Nico. He had so many musicians under contract that to Nico, it had always been kind of normal to meet those people in person.

"Ni—ico!", called Hazel out from a far already.

Nico smiled fondly at his little princess of a sister. Her wild curls pointed into every direction, her golden eyes sparkling as she made grabby hands for Nico. Well, one grabby hand, the other was wrapped around a scrawny little Latino who was tugged under her arm. The two of them were sitting together with Jason and Piper, as well as a brunette boy and a redheaded girl. It figured Hazel, Jason and Piper would bond since their older siblings had instantly bonded, leading to the girls convincing their parents to sit together during dinner. For the past three days, the McLean-Graces and the di Angelos had been sitting together during meals.

"Hey there, did you have fun, sorellina?", asked Nico gently.

"U-uh!", nodded Hazel eagerly, hugging the Latino in her arms even closer.

"Who's your new friend there?", asked Nico amused as he joined the kids on the play deck.

"Is my Leo!", exclaimed Hazel happily.

"H—Hello", pied Leo up, looking at Nico with large almond eyes.

He had untamed curls and looked kind of adorable, making Nico smile. He knew he liked to pose as the angry, grumpy bad boy, but not when with kids. He wouldn't want to scare them, after all.

"Ni—ico!", called Jason out as he tackled Nico, hugging him tightly.

Nico was pretty sure he had been adopted by the blonde. Jason always got ridiculously eager when he saw Nico. The blonde smiled up at him brightly as he buried his face in Nico's stomach. Nico was kind of tempted to just steal Jason and keep him. But then again, their family was also living in Los Angeles, just like the di Angelos and Bianca and Thalia were about two days away from starting to plan their shared apartment once they'd start college this fall; it was ridiculous on what level those two had clicked in the short time they had known each other now. So there was basically no way their families wouldn't stay in contact after this cruise.

"You must be the beloved slash annoying brother, depending on which di Angelo sister you ask."

Nico huffed and turned to the source of the voice, just to pause and gape maybe a little. There was a Greek god standing in front of him. He had long legs, a delectable sixpack, sun-kissed skin, narrow hips, a cheeky grin on pink, plump lips, messy black hair that had a nearly dark-blue shine to it in the sunlight and the most amazing blue-green eyes Nico had ever seen. He looked like one of those Greek hero statues in the museum just coming alive and stepping right into one of Nico's naughty fantasies, because wow. Nico continued gaping while Hazel and Leo ran over to him.

"Percy! This is _my_ Nico!", exclaimed Hazel proudly. "Best brother in the world!"

"No—o", protested Leo, tugging on Hazel's dress. "Percy is best brother!"

"Yes! Percy is best brother!", exclaimed the brunette boy still sitting with Piper.

So, Nico did the math and figured out this was Percy. "Yeah. I'm Hazel's brother. I'm supposed to pick Hazel, Piper and Jason up. Also, I'm supposed to say hello from Thalia."

Percy grinned and tilted his head. "Somehow, I thought you were younger."

"What?", asked Nico confused. "I'm sixteen. Why did you think I was younger?"

Percy shrugged. "Bianca portraits you as like a bratty little boy hanging off her skirt and Hazel makes it sound like you spend _a lot_ of time playing with her, so I thought you were like... ten."

Nico choked a little and shook his head. "I'm sixteen. Not a brat. My sister is just kind of a bee."

"A bee?", asked Percy confused before he got it and laughed. "Aw, child swearing. Cute."

"I'm a ladybug!", stated Hazel happily as she looked up at Percy. "Nico says Bianca is a bee, but I'm his ladybug! Ladybugs are great and pretty!"

Percy looked at her like his heart was melting a little, all sweet and cute and that look just suited him really well. "You'd be such an adorable little ladybug, Hazel."

"It helps that she loves _Miraculous Ladybug_ ", added Nico with a grin. "She's been begging me for months that we dress up as Ladybug and Chat Noir for Halloween this year."

"...Well, I can't say that I'd be against you in a skin-tight leather outfit", drawled Percy.

Nico blinked doe-eyed as Percy ran his eyes up and down Nico's body like a hungry man. Okay. Nico might not be too familiar with people flirting with him, but the only way Percy could be more blatantly obvious would be by literally licking Nico's abs. The Italian flushed brightly.

"I'm Percy", said Percy after a beat. "Those are my little brothers, Leo and Tyson. Say hi, boys."

"Hello", chimed the two boys who looked _nothing_ like Percy.

Tyson had sandy-brown hair and hazel eyes, while Leo was a Latino. But when Nico looked down at his chocolate-skinned half-sister, he decided not to question. Instead, he smiled charmingly at Percy and took the slightly older boy's hand to daringly kiss it.

"It's a _pleasure_ to meet you, Percy", stated Nico with a wink.

Percy raised his eyebrows, amused grin on his lips. "Likewise. Well, I'm sorry but I gotta get Ella here ready before her sister is picking her up, so if you don't mind..."

"No, not at all. I have to bring those three rascals home anyway", replied Nico as he took Jason and Hazel by the hands, Piper clinging onto Jason's other hand. "I'm sure I'll see you around?"

"Nah, I'm actually a merboy who only occasionally jumps on the ship", countered Percy with a grin. "We're literally on a ship. You're bound to run into me again. Not to mention, I run this little group here, so... as long as Hazel keeps being well-behaved, she's welcomed here."

"I'm always good!", exclaimed Hazel with a pout.

"Of course you are, I was only joking, sweetie", cooed Percy soothingly.

"Bye-bye, Hazel", chirped Leo as he waved at her.

Hazel smiled brightly as she waved back at the Latino while they were leaving. Nico was glad that Hazel had made some friends, she had been nearly as pouty as Nico about this cruise, because it meant she wouldn't be able to spend any time with her best friend Frank, Reyna's little cousin.

/break\

"Oh come on", groaned Nico with a glare. "Why can't we just sit with Thalia's family again?"

The _one_ night he wanted to sit with them so he could squeeze more information out of Thalia about the deliciousness of Percy and his parents decided they weren't sitting with the McLean-Graces tonight. Granted, the cruise had about a dozen different restaurants on the ship and they were bound to not go to the same restaurant as the other family every night. But still, at least tonight! He hadn't gotten a chance to talk to Luke and Thalia again after bringing Hazel home, bathing her, tucking her in and watching her until their parents came home. Not to mention, they wanted to go to one of the fancy restaurants tonight, meaning suit and tie. Their first night, they had gone to the Italian restaurant, to appease the pouting children, which was where they had met the McLean-Graces because with two toddlers they had chosen pizza as their start too. The two families hit it off and continued on that merry note. The second night, they went to a restaurant with a New Orleans theme, because Persephone came from New Orleans and she always made gambo once a month.

"Because we were invited to eat with the captain tonight", stated Hades seriously. "Please, straighten the tie, son. We do try to look our best."

"The captain?", echoed Nico doubtfully. " _Why_?"

He couldn't imagine that everyone on this giant-ass ship got a turn to sit with the captain, so why would they have this privilege? Bianca huffed and rolled her eyes as she grabbed Nico's tie to straighten it for him when he continued to fidget with it. She wore a beautiful silver dress, her hair put up elegantly. Bianca and Persephone most definitely enjoyed that they were playing dress-up tonight. Nico on the other hand had hoped they'd stick to the 'lower' restaurants so he could continue on with the casual clothes. Instead, he looked like he was about to attend his own funeral.

"Because he's an old friend of mine", replied Hades. "Poseidon Jackson."

"Oh. One of the Big Three. We're finally gonna meet him, huh?", teased Nico with a grin.

Hades often liked to talk about his high school days, especially after Bianca and then Nico went to the same boarding school as Hades used to go. He used to be the captain of the soccer team, while a guy named Zeus was the captain of the football team and Poseidon was the captain of the swim team. The three of them had gone down in their school's history as the Big Three, because they had led the school's sports-teams to continuous victory every game since they had become the captains. Apparently, the three were kind of friends but with a very strong rivalry, often arguing whose sport was the best. Nico had seen a lot of pictures of them around school, since the school still prided itself on the fame those three had given them. The winning streaks continued after they graduated, but by far not as continuously strong as it had been under their leaderships.

"Exactly. I was trying to set our families up for a dinner for so long now, but something on one side always came up. It's the reason we went on this cruise, Nico", replied Hades. "Poseidon's family is here too this time around, so this is perfect. Now please, cease the grumpiness for a night."

Nico glared pointedly at his father. His grumpiness was eternal and would never be ceased. Especially not when his father was getting between him and learning more about the pretty boy from earlier. Alas, he was kind of interested in meeting Hades' best friend from high school. So Nico begrudgingly allowed his parents to herd him out of the suite and toward the restaurant.

When they actually stood in front of the captain's table, Nico felt his jaw drop. There he sat, the cute pretty boy from earlier. Percy. On his right sat a man in a captain's uniform who basically looked like an older carbon copy of Percy. Tyson and Leo were there too, as well as another couple of adults. Nico gaped at how pretty Percy looked in his white suit with the light blue button-down shirt. Then he turned to stare at his father who went to hug the older version of Percy.

"It's been too long, my friend", greeted Hades pleased before moving on to the other adults. "Sally, you look as beautiful as ever, my dear. Paul, it's good to see you again."

"It really has been", agreed the captain. "I wanted for our families to meet for so many years now."

"Let me introduce", smiled Hades pleased. "I'm Hades di Angelo, this is my wife Persephone and those are our children Bianca, Nico and little Hazel. Children, that's Captain Poseidon Jackson, his ex-wife Sally and her new husband Paul Blofis and..."

He drawled out as he looked at the children, having Sally take over with a smile. "Our oldest Percy, this little darling is Tyson and this is Leo. Leo hasn't been with our family for long yet, so don't take it personal if he shies away, he's still rather weary... or at least, he usually is..."

Sally watched in surprise as Leo jumped off his chair and ran around the table to hug Hazel, both children giggling happily. Percy laughed softly at that while waving at Bianca and Nico.

"The two are getting along great in the play group", explained Percy with a smile.

Percy was the captain's son. Nico's eyes were comically wide as he looked from Percy to Percy's father, who really-really looked a lot like him. He was being elbowed by Bianca, who gave him a rather pointed, curious look. Right, maybe a little less gaping.

"Why don't we mix the seating up a little, if the children are getting along so well?", suggested Sally with a smile before standing. "Persephone, come sit with me. We have catching up to do."

And that was how Nico ended up seated between Hazel and Percy. He listened to the adults' conversations with half an ear while everyone at the table was trying to decide what to order, but he only felt settled enough to actually talk to Percy after their orders were placed.

"So... you're the captain's son", said Nico lamely, instantly wishing he could kick himself.

"Your observation skills are astonishing", stated Percy with an amused glint in his eyes. "My mom and dad got divorced when I was still little, but for my sake, they always still stayed close, even after mom married Paul. I'm grateful for it, I wouldn't want to miss my dad in my life. So, since they get along, dad occasionally invites us all to go to the cruises."

Nico nodded and turned to look at Leo, who was happily babbling with Hazel and Tyson. "And, uh, if it's not too personal, but... your brother hasn't been with you for long...?"

"Ty and Leo are adopted", replied Percy with a soft look in his eyes. "My mom, she's a social worker. And, well, Tyson... he had been living on the streets and it broke her heart and we ended up adopting him ourselves. Leo has only been with us for half a year now. He was rescued from a burning building where his parents died and he's still pretty scarred from that, emotionally."

"And... your father and your stepfather actually get along?", asked Nico curiously.

"They're not exactly meeting for cognac and cigars, but they both love me, so yeah", shrugged Percy with a small grin. "I totally love working on dad's ship in the summer and I'm happy dad invited mom, Paul, Leo and Tyson along too so it's an actual family vacation for me."

Nico nodded, watching Percy in kind of awe, because Percy looked so soft and beautiful when talking about his family. Not to mention, Percy in a suit was yummy. Sitting there, next to Percy, Nico knew that he wanted Percy. Not just appreciating the sight and flirting a little as they had done earlier, but he really-really wanted to taste Percy's lips and skin. He wanted that so much.

/break\

"So, who's the love-sick puppy following you around these days?"

Percy blinked confused at his best friend. The redheaded girl raised one eyebrow at him and jerked her head a little, so Percy followed her line of sight to see Nico sitting on the edge of the pool, smiling instantly when Percy looked at him and waving at Percy.

"...Nico? What are you talking about, Rach?", asked Percy confused while waving back at Nico.

"He's essentially drooling over you", pointed Rachel out with a deadpan. "Or he's having hearts in his eyes. It varies, depending on what you're doing. So, what's up with that?"

Percy was still frowning at her as he stepped closer to her so Tyson on his shoulders could try pushing Ella down from Rachel's shoulders. The friendship between Rachel and Percy had sneaked up on them slowly. Rachel's family regularly went on the _Princess Andromeda_ for their summer vacation, where Rachel and Percy had first met, then later on they ran into each other when entering high school and in the end, when picking their little siblings up from daycare, which was the point where they actually started really hanging out with each other and not just share smalltalk occasionally. By now, the two were basically inseparable, just like their younger siblings were.

"Nico's Hazel's brother", supplied Tyson. "Hazel is Leo's new friend!"

Rachel hummed and nodded a little as she turned to watch the tentative Latino sitting with a cute dark-skinned little girl with Sally and Paul close to where Nico sat. Ella giggled a little.

"Hazel is nice! Ella likes Hazel", declared Ella happily.

"And Nico? Is Nico nice?", asked Rachel teasingly.

"Yes!", chorused Tyson and Ella.

"And does _Percy_ like Nico?", asked Rachel, smug grin on her lips.

"Yes!", chorused Tyson and Ella once more, oblivious to the flustered Percy beneath them.

"It's not like that and you _know_ that, Rach", huffed Percy and rolled his eyes.

"Yes, but... does _he_ know it?", inquired Rachel gently, both eyebrows raised.

That made Percy pause a little and frown for a long moment.

/break\

Nico was _so_ eager as he sat down at a table with Ethan and Alabaster, as well as Luke and Octavian. Percy had asked him if he'd go and eat with Percy tonight. Nico had successfully dodged his family, but the two annoying couples he had befriended over the past two weeks of being on this stupid cruise had insisted on tagging along. Ethan, Alabaster and Luke were already _way_ too invested in Nico's love-life. Somehow, he had become the pup in their pack and especially pack-mom Luke seemed to be rooting for Nico to get Percy. It was kind of embarrassing but also nice. He really hoped he could stay in contact with them when the summer ended, but considering they too were from Los Angeles – after all, they had come along with the McLean-Graces – Nico was reluctantly hopeful. He wasn't very good at making friends. If he was being honest, Reyna was kind of his only _real_ friend. And even though their meddling was annoying, it was also kind of endearing.

"Uhm... Nico? I kinda thought... we'd be alone", admitted Percy surprised as he joined them.

"So did I", sighed Nico pointedly. "But they're idiots."

"If you'd just step a little closer... ah, perfect!", requested Alabaster as he pushed them closer.

And then, the brunette took a row of pictures of Percy and Nico, flustering both of them. Most likely for blackmail, considering everything Nico knew about Al at this point. Luke hastily joined in, genuinely cooing at Percy and Nico while taking the pictures. Ethan just snorted amused and Octavian blatantly ignored them while rolling his eyes pointedly.

"Well, this is awkward", drawled Percy as he ruffled his hair.

"I know. Not how I pictured our first date", sighed Nico agitated.

"...And that just made it even more awkward", sighed Percy as he sat down opposite Nico. "This... isn't a date, Nico. This was actually meant as me wanting to talk to you in private to ask and see if you were... thinking _that_ way about me. Guess that's kind of the answer I need."

"...What?", asked Nico confused and maybe a little frightened.

Percy flushed and looked at Nico with apologetic sea-green eyes. "I'm... sorry if I gave you the wrong impression, Nico. You're nice and sweet and very cute, but... I'm not interested."

"I call bullshit", snorted Alabaster next to Nico. "You were flirting as hard as Nico."

"Flirting, yes, but... I'm not interested in _more_ than flirting. Flirting is a fun pastime", shrugged Percy, shifting a little. "It's flattering having a gorgeous guy flirt back and all, but... I didn't really expect you to be seriously interested in more than just flirting?"

"And... you're not interested in more", muttered Nico, sounding rather hollow.

Percy fidgeted with his hands, staring down at them. "I am. But I can't."

"That doesn't even make sense", grunted Alabaster confused.

"Love. Please, no running commentary", requested Ethan softly.

"I've been through this before", admitted Percy as he looked up at Nico. "Two summers ago, I met this amazing girl on the cruise, her name was Calypso. And we hit it off so well and we promised we'd make it work after summer ended, but we didn't. And I just... I'm not ready to get my heart broken like that, because I get _invested_ in a relationship. I'm not cut out for short summer flings. I know I'd get too attached and when summer ends and I never see you again, it'd just break my heart and I'm not willing for that to happen again, Nico. I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to lead you on or anything, I really do like you and flirting with you is fun."

Nico just nodded numbly before he got up and simply walked away. It was probably childish, but he genuinely didn't have anything to say right now and if he'd wait until Percy left, then he'd be left alone to his friends and their pity, something he really didn't need right now. It was probably stupid that Nico already felt so deeply for Percy; he had only known the other for two weeks and it had mainly just been playful banter and hanging out with their younger siblings. But Percy was probably right. Nico doubted that two weeks on a cruiser would be enough for him either. Maybe it was better not to have a taste at all so he wouldn't know what he'd be missing.

/break\

Nico did his darn best to avoid Percy for the next week, which was only mildly hard considering they were on the same ship. It also cost him _a lot_ because he had to bribe Bianca into taking over his Hazel duties. Percy seemed to understand what Nico was doing and he respected it.

But Nico didn't like it. He didn't like avoiding Percy, he already missed Percy after just a week. Whenever he saw Percy across the pool or something, all Nico really wanted was to walk over and talk to Percy, or more preferably pin him against the next wall and kiss him silly until Percy would apologize and admit that being with Nico would totally be the wiser decision.

That was how Nico came to make a decision. He was not going to be a childish brat about this by avoiding Percy, because he wanted to be with Percy. And he was also not giving up that easily. He was going to prove to Percy that he was willing to make this work beyond the summer.

"Well, look at that pretty stranded siren. I really hope no sea witch stole your voice."

Percy blinked very slowly as he looked up at Nico. They were harbored for a couple hours and Percy was laying sprawled out on the beach, tanning all that delicious skin of his even more. Percy frowned surprised as he sat up some. His skin was glistering with sweat and Nico really wanted to lick it off and then kiss Percy and then lick some more.

"...So you're talking to me again, huh", drawled Percy a bit unimpressed.

Nico winced a little as he sat down opposite of Percy. "Yes, I am. And I'm sorry for being a childish dick, but... you really hurt my feelings, you know. Because I like you. I like you a lot. And hearing you say that flirting with me was just a fun pastime...? That hurt."

"Point taken", sighed Percy. "I guess we both were being dicks in our own ways. I'm sorry. I've just been on cruises for so long that harmless, pointless flirting has become kind of a normal thing for me when I see a guy or girl that's pretty. Most people here are just interested in a summer fling, so there aren't any hard feelings even if they assume to get more out of my flirting. So I'm sorry too."

"I want to be with you", declared Nico as he looked seriously at Percy.

"Nico", sighed Percy, looking like a kicked kitten. "I just told you..."

"That you don't start anything on the cruise. Okay, I accept that. Then I will woo you _after_ the cruise ended, but just... give me a chance to prove myself to you", stated Nico honestly.

Percy snorted, but his eyes gleamed in interest. "...So, what you're suggesting is that we return to the flirting and hanging out and you want to ask me out after the summer ends?"

"Exactly", nodded Nico, look firm and determined. "Give me a chance?"

"Fair enough", nodded Percy with a small, pleased smile.

/break\

Nico wasn't beyond cheating. Sure, he wanted to convince Percy that he could make it work for them both, but he wasn't above asking for some intel and help. He knew where to go for that help.

"Nico? Oh, Jason will be happy to see you", greeted Beryl Grace with a smile.

She opened the door and indeed, the next second Nico had a tiny blonde attached to his legs. The month-long cruise had nearly reached its end and Jason had basically turned into a puppy following Nico around wherever he could. It was kind of cute and Nico was pretty sure that Reyna would adore the little blonde too once they'd meet. Grinning, Nico ruffled Jason's hair.

"I actually came to see your sister, Jay", chuckled Nico.

"Nico?", piped Piper up, looking up curiously from where she sat on her dad's lap.

Tristan chuckled as he continued braiding his little girl's hair. "I think he means the other sister. Hello, Nico. Thalia is in her room, I believe. Unless she snuck out already."

"Are you crazy, dad? It's like still the middle of the night", complained Thalia from her room. "The only place I wanna sneak into is my bed again. Why does breakfast have to be so _early_?"

Beryl chuckled as she leaned down to pick Jason up so Nico could walk freely. He nodded gratefully at her before heading over to Thalia's room. She looked like a sleepy, grumpy mess and once again, Nico came to appreciate how similar the two of them seemed.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty", teased Nico with an amused grin.

"Fuck you", grunted Thalia as she yawned and stretched. "What do you want?"

"Percy Jackson", replied Nico as he sat down next to her on her bed.

"...And... I'm supposed to wrap a bow around his neck, or what?", asked Thalia dubiously.

"That would be appreciated too", hummed Nico with a grin. "No. I mean. We're back to being friends, but I want more. And I told him I'd prove to him that I would make it work, even after the summer. For that, I need some background information. Sure, I could go and ask him, but... Since I want to surprise him, that would be counterproductive."

"Okay. Shoot", sighed Thalia as she collapsed back onto her bed.

"How do you _know_ him?", asked Nico with a frown. "Because... for a while there, I was hopeful that since he's friends with you and Luke and you guys live in LA, that maybe... But he lives in New York. New-fucking-York. That's literally the other end of the US, damn it."

Thalia snorted and looked up at him in amusement. "It's because we didn't grow up in the same neighborhood. We actually met through Percy's best friend." Thalia paused for a moment, looking a bit weary. "You probably know it from the press, but before mom and dad got together, my mother had a bad drinking problem. She... really flew off the handle when I was little and I decided to run away. That's how I met Luke, on the streets. We made it all the way to San Francisco together, where we met Annabeth. She was a couple years younger than us and had run away because she had problems with her stepmother. The three of us, we formed a bond during that time, even though it had only lasted a few weeks. It was a wake-up call for my mom, she sobered up, got her act together. But I never lost contact with Luke and Annabeth. Luke stayed on the streets until he met Octavian, who... really helped him out, gave him a home and place he wanted to belong. It's why we, as a collective, tolerate Octavian even though he's a dick to everyone who's not named Luke Castellan. And... Annabeth, she returned to her parents but it just didn't work out, so she went to a boarding school in New York where she met Percy. That's how we know Percy."

Nico nodded a little numbly. He hadn't known that. Beryl's lawyers and PR manager must really be keeping that under lock and key. It also explained why Thalia allowed herself to be dragged into this family vacation even though she was already nineteen. She was probably happy that her family had worked out after all. And it really did explain why everyone tolerated Octavian, if he had helped Luke off the street and helped him sort his life out. He just wasn't entirely sure how helpful all of this would be for him on the long run. But he knew he would figure something out.

/break\

Percy's heart was aching a little as he got out of the car and grabbed the box with his most important belongings from the backseat of the car. He couldn't believe how fast the summer had ended. And with that, a new chapter in the book of his life would begin. It was the reason they had gone on this all-family vacation, after all. Percy had successfully graduated from high school and would be attending college starting now. He was nervous about this, he had spent half the drive here texting Nico. The thought made him smile faintly. Yes, summer was over, but Nico and him texted on a daily base. Nearly hourly, if he was being honest. It was heartwarming, but Percy was still doubtful.

"Move your butt, Jackson. I want to get settled soon so we can order pizza. I'm starving."

"Seconded. The sooner we get our stuff into our apartment, the sooner we can nap."

Percy rolled his eyes as he turned to look at his new roommates. He was going to move in together with his two best friends – Annabeth and Rachel. He was really looking forward to this, even though he knew he would end up being bossed around all day long by the two girls. The decision where they would study had kind of been made a year ago. Because this was the city where Annabeth's girlfriend lived, the city where Annabeth's and Percy's friends Thalia and Luke lived, and it was also the city farthest away from Rachel's parents while still being in the states.

"Ah! Finally, the lost pups return to the pack!", exclaimed Luke as he came to hug them.

While Luke practically suffocated Percy and Annabeth in a hug, Rachel went to hug a very unwilling and annoyed Octavian. Ethan and Alabaster snorted amused as they went to get some of the stuff out of the truck of the car to help out some, ruffling the younger teens' hair in passing while Thalia went to join the hug between Luke, Percy and Annabeth.

"Yeah, pack mom here has been getting real antsy", teased Thalia amused.

"Thanks for coming and helping, gu-", started Percy with a smile after the hug.

He paused when he noticed that Thalia, Luke, Octavian, Ethan and Alabaster weren't the only ones who had come to help them unpack and welcome them in Los Angeles. Annabeth gasped and ran straight into the arms of a gorgeous Latina – Reyna, Percy had met her a few times over the past year. But what made Percy pause was the olive-skinned boy next to Reyna.

"...Nico...", whispered Percy and swallowed hard.

"I'm taking you out for dinner tomorrow", was the first thing Nico said to him in utter determination as he stepped up to Percy. "Not tonight, because you've had a long, exhausting drive. But tomorrow, I am taking you out for our first date, boyfriend."

Percy flushed a little as Nico stepped up into his personal space and grabbed him by the hips to pull him even closer until only a breath separated them. Percy was confused and wanted to ask what Nico was doing here, but then he remembered that he had never actually _asked_ where Nico was from. The closest he had gotten to that was Nico asking where Percy was from and then whining with a long face that New York was 'too fucking far away'.

"...You live in Los Angeles", whispered Percy stunned, blinking slowly. "Really?"

"How did _that_ not come up in your conversations?!", called Rachel out and shook her head.

"Annie, Rachel, Percy, this is my best friend, Nico. But judging by the fact that Nico is five seconds away from kissing Percy senseless, I get the impression you already know each other", introduced Reyna with one raised eyebrow. "So Annie's Percy and Nico's Percy are the same Percy."

"Thank the gods. Two of them would be a _nightmare_ ", muttered Octavian pointedly, getting elbowed by Rachel. "Ouch, Dare. And can you two finally kiss so we can get this over with and I can go back home and do more productive things with my boyfriend?"

"For once, I have to agree with Simmons", stated Nico with a mischievous grin. "Can I have a kiss now and can I call you my boyfriend now? I promise I will sweep you off your feet, Perce."

Percy managed to nod before he felt Nico's firm, demanding lips upon his own and felt like melting. He had been thinking about this for weeks now, but he had denied it himself, not thinking he'd ever see Nico again. It seemed the fates had different plans for them, thankfully enough. Their friends snickered and whistled in the background as Nico and Percy got lost in each other's taste.

 _~*~ The End ~*~_

* * *

 _Author's note: So, this was fun :D I always enjoy writing a random piece of Nicercy among all the requests, new chapters to my open stories and the very increasing Malace I write these days. And I just looove turning the Heroes of Olympus characters into little kids. It's too much fun. And no one can tell me that Jason wouldn't hang off Nico's legs all the time xD  
_


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